LONDON: A £100,000 hitman has been found guilty of plotting the murder of blogger Ahmed Waqas Goraya in the Netherlands, who was told he was on a "murder list" by the FBI.
31-year-old Muhammad Gohir Khan was hired and directed by unknown people to kill blogger Ahmed Waqas Goraya in the Netherlands in June last year. Mr Justice Hilliard announced on Friday that Gohir Khan had been found guilty by a unanimous decision of a jury of 12 for conspiracy to murder Goraya between February and June last year. A 12-member jury found that Gohir Khan was guilty of conspiracy to kill Goraya, after having entered into a contract with his handler, whose whereabouts are currently unknown, but it is believed that Scotland Yard is not sure of the true identity. knows.
A UK-born Icelandic supermarket delivery driver traveled to Rotterdam and bought a 19-inch knife, but the target was not at his home and Gohir Khan was arrested under anti-terrorism laws upon his return to London on Eurostar. In your "project".
Kingston Crown Court heard that Goraya was on a "murder list" by the FBI in December 2018. Prosecutors said Gohir Khan, who earned £11 an hour as a driver, was "enthusiastic" about carrying out the murder - and further attacks in the UK and Europe - to make money because he was in huge debt. , due to creditors of approximately £200,000.
Khan, who lives with his parents, wife and six children at Forest Gate in east London, claimed he had no intention of killing Mr Goraya, but played to "extort money" from his handler.
Shortly after the decision was announced, Scotland Yard said the investigation was active and that it was conducting further inquiries. Justice Hilliard adjourned the sentence until March 11. The court heard that Goraya had received threats online.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan QC told the jury: "Someone wanted him to be killed ... Those who wanted Mr. Goraya dead were willing to pay money to make sure he was dead." Conspirators referred to the target as a "fish" in messages as they finalized a £100,000 deal, calling Goraya a "little fish" and "not a shark".
A Scotland Yard spokesman said officials uncovered more than 2,000 WhatsApp messages between Muhammad Gohir Khan and his co-conspirator where they discussed and agreed to contract killing.
Richard Smith, commander of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "I commend counter-terrorism officers and Border Force allies, whose vigilance and close cooperation led to the initiation of this investigation, which later uncovered a sinister conspiracy to murder.
"Khan was spoiled by his low cunning and finesse, and the investigation found that he was willing to commit a murder for financial gain, with no respect for his intended victim." We Rotterdam Counter Terrorism, We were able to stop Khan from carrying out this murderous conspiracy in collaboration with the UK Border Force and our Dutch allies in the Extremism and Radicalization (CTER) Unit, who worked tirelessly with their SO15 counterparts throughout the investigation."